Steel Be With You
by Dr. Frohman
Summary: Follow the Lone Wanderer's tales of adventure after Project Purity is activated, and he and the Brotherhood fight to destroy the Enclave.
1. Chapter 1

As Anthony stepped into the irradiated chamber of Project Purity, Sarah Lyons pressed her hand up against the airlock, and whispered the words "Goodbye". Tears ran down her face, onto the cold, steel Power Armor.

As he entered the Code, 2:16, there was a flash! A loud bang, and as he slowly kneeled down, She burst into tears, wanting it all of it to just go away, her heart was broken.

But then, all of a sudden, she heard the door behind her open, and Dr. Li and several brotherhood medics following her. "Open that door right now!", said Li. "It's too late, he's dead." Lyons responded. "I said open that damn door!" Li screamed at Lyons. "That's James's son, the only glimpse of hope that the wasteland has, and I'm not going to let it end! Now open this door!" Lyons unwillingly opened the airlock, and let Li, and another scientist in.

As they dragged him out of the chamber, his body was nearly glowing due to the high radiation levels in the chamber. Sarah slowly got down on her knees and started to weep over his body. Everyone in the room could feel the sadness, Elder Lyons, Captain Night Gallows, Star Paladin Cross, and even Dr. Li started to weep at the sight of Sarah crying over his body.

Suddenly, she could feel his heartbeat, she could see his body moving, and she felt his once lifeless body grab her hand. "It's a miracle", said Elder Lyons, "Come on people, lets get him back to the Citadel, now!", Dr. Li yelled out.

From Anthony's point of view, he was oblivious to the things happening around him. He was going through time and space, seeing his life flash before his eyes. From his first steps, to his last minutes. he was wondering about all the things he had done, from disabling the bomb in Megaton, to enslaving people with the Mezmatron, wondering which way is right and which is wrong.

He woke up with a flash of bright light, looking into an "eye" of a Mister Gutsy, which was Sawbones, the Citadel's doctor. Sawbones responded with a rather loud cry of the word "Alive!", Sentinel Lyons heard this yell, and rushed to the infirmary.

When she saw Anthony was alive and well, she yelled out with glee. She was never so happy to see him, as well he was never so happy to see her. As they looked into each others eyes, they were both happy, but they had no idea what to do, so Sarah just said a very sheepish "Hi", Anthony responded with a slight chuckle, and weakly said "Hi" back.

Anthony tried to get up from the very uncomfortable mattress, but Sarah responded with a very firm "No" and said "You need to rest, you've been in a coma for two or three weeks, and you are too weak to be walking around, especially fighting." Anthony said "I guess you're right, I do need to rest."

Sarah then proceeded to walk out the door, saying "Bye".

"Wait!" Anthony yelled out before she shut the door, catching her attenction by a slight second.

"What about Project Purity?" he quickly asked. "Anthony, the purifier is up and running, people are rushing to the Tidal Basin for water, and we have been able to bottle the water also, so we have been sending stockpiles of water by the Caravans and other means of transportation. Anthony, because of you, the Wasteland is saved, you're a hero! Your father would have been proud."

Anthony slowly smiled and looked at the dark, ruined ceiling, thinking about all the good he's done, and thought of his father and mother. But then, the dark truth hit him, he had no parents, no one that helped him, no one that gave a care about what he did, and most of all, no one to love him. He realized that he never met his own mother, and he never really bonded with his father. He realized that the real monster in his whole life was the Enclave. Sure, Eden was dead, but what of Col. Autumn? he realized he should have killed him in the Rotunda on the spot, instead of showing him mercy,


	2. Chapter 2

"Wake up, please just wake up!" Anthony could hear faded cries for help, that sounded strangely like Amata's voice. He could see visions of Vault 101 burning to the ground, and the only thing left was the framed bible verse, he could hear his father's voice relaying the verse.

"Revelation: 21:6. I am Alpha and Omega. The Beginning and the End. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

Everything but the verse was afire, and he could hear screams, everyone was burning. Amata, The Overseer, Old Lady Palmer, Christine, even Mr. Brotch.

Anthony woke up with a jolt, and he said, "I get it now, the fires are the Enclave, and the water needs to put it out. If the fires are at Vault 101, then that means... I need to get back to the Vault!"

Anthony burst out of the Infirmary door and went up to the courtyard. He ran up to the roof to a captured Vertibird, and said, "I need to get to Vault 101!" the pilot responded with a nod of the head and said, "Let's go."

As they neared the Vault, the pilot said, "This is as close as I can take you, the radar says there are Enclave force there." "Oh No, I need to help the Vault!" Anthony worriedly said.

As the Vertibird dropped him off outside the Enclave's radar range. Anthony could see several soldiers stationed outside the Vault. He slowly sneaked up behind one of the officers and whacked him in the back of the head with a Plasma Rifle.

He took the officer's clothes and hid the body in one of the many alcoves in the rock formation.

As he walked up to one of the soldiers and asked him,

"Soldier, do you have any idea why we are here?"

"No sir. You'll have to ask Autumn himself, but I can let you in if you want."

"Thank you, soldier."

As the soldier opened the wooden gate to the vault door, Anthony could hear gunshots and yelling coming from inside the vault.

He rushed inside only to see a pile of bodies sitting near the door control pad, and Mr. Brotch was thrown on the top. Anthony got down on his knees and closed Brotch's mouth, which was in mid scream when he was killed.

He procceded to go into the main atrium, and he could see bodies everywhere, along with soldiers and officers burning the very same bodies. He looked up at the Overseers office and saw a very familiar shadow.

He ran up the stairs, and looked through the vault's jail cell, guarded by an Enclave soldier.

He opened the door to the jail, and said to the soldier, "Soldier, who is in that cell?"

"The Overseer's daughter, Amata Almodovar."

"I demand you let me in there!"

"No sir, unless Colonel Autumn gave you permission, I can't let you in."

"I hope you know I can kill you right now, and tell the Colonel that my weapon misfired."

"Umm, yes sir! here, let me enter the code. There you go, sir."

"Good, I was getting annoyed."

Anthony walked into the cell, and saw Amata jump up at him.

"Anthony! How did you know we needed help?"

"It was just a hunch."

"Ok. Well anyway, you need to help us. These soldiers have taken over all of the Vault, and they've killed everyone except me and my father. I don't know why they're here or what they want with us."

"Don't worry Amata, I will try and help as much as I can. Now, do you know where the Overseer is?

"Yeah, he's in his office being interrogated, and they said they want to talk to me next."

"Ok, I'll be back. I'm gonna go see whats going on."

"Ok. Oh, and Anthony? Hurry back."

Anthony gently nodded his head and left the cell.

"Are you done in there, sir?" The soldier responded.

"Yes, soldier, you can close the door now."

"Yes sir. Oh and I'm very sorry about that little problem we had before, please don't report me to Autumn."

"Yeah, we're good."

"Ok sir, thank you!"

As Anthony opened the door to the Overseer's office, He watched a conversation between the Overseer and Colonel Autumn.

"But I'm telling you Colonel, the vault's purifier is nearly 200 years old. It was on the brink of failing for several years anyway."

"And I'm telling you, Mr. Almodovar, You are to leave the vault now. Do not make me use any more violence than I already have.

"Listen, now that the vault door is open, the purifier is going to fail even quicker. Every second that door is open, it's a countdown until the purifier blows."

"If the vault door is open, then it will speed up the process of your leaving also."

"Ok, ok. we'll leave, but can't you tell me what you need the purifier for, at least?"

"Fine, I'll tell you. We need the purifier to put a modified F.E.V virus in, and therefor, instead of creating mutations, it will destroy mutations. But oh no, sadly you won't be able to see a mutant free world, because now that I have told you our plans, I need to kill you."

"Wait, can't we work something out?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Almodovar. Good-bye."

As Autumn pulled out his modified 10mm pistol, the Overseer started to run, but just as he was out of the door, Autumn shot him in the back of the head, and the Overseer fell dead on the floor.

"Well, well, well. look what we have here, the 'Lone Wanderer'" Autumn said as he spotted Anthony.

"Listen Autumn, when I let you leave the Jefferson Memorial alive, I thought I saw the last of you. I hardly expected you to be raiding the place where I grew up in."

"Sometimes life gives you things that you don't expect, Anthony. I hardly expected you to destroy the place where I lived."

"Autumn, It had to be done, Eden was a good computer, but loaded up with the wrong files."

"We had a clear dream, we just wanted to live in a land like before the bombs fell, with no mutations and the people were bright and cheery."

"How do you know, Autumn? How do you know what the world was like before the bombs fell? you're, what 30, 40 years old? The world was destroyed 200 years ago, and you have no proof of what the world was like."

"I would hardly say the world was 'destroyed' it was just 'hindered', we can rebuild it all with a purifier that works, and since you have taken over Project Purity, and all the other vaults are either destroyed or deserted, vault 101 is the obvious one to pick."

"The Overseer was right, the purifier is on the brink of destruction, and you wouldn't be able to fix it, even with a G.E.C.K."

"My friend, you are so foolish, I don't even know if you understand a word that I'm saying. I'm not going to even bother explaining it to you one last time, so I may as well kill you and your little friend, 'Amata' right now."

"You can kill me, but you leave Amata alone, she deserves to live."

"Ha, it's funny, you bother reasoning with me, but there is no reason. Guards, it is of number one importance that you kill our prisoner, now!"

"No!"

Anthony takes his 44. Magnum pistol and shoots Autumn in the chest, and Autumn falls on to the floor.

"Go ahead and kill me, (cough) you will be stopping me, but (cough) the Enclave will prevail!"

"No, I think I'm gonna let you die with some dignity. Besides, I shot you in the the chest, you'll be dead soon enough."

"No! kill me now!" Autumn says as Anthony walks out the door, and seals it behind him.

Anthony runs past the jail cell where Amata was, and sees her lifeless body on the floor.

"Crap, too late."

Anthony, still wearing his officer uniform, escapes the vault without much resistance,

and watches the giant vault door slide close, locking all remaning Enclave soldiers inside the vault.

As Anthony walks away from the giant hill that vault 101 once was in, he wonders if he was right letting Autumn die the way he did, and if he could have saved Amata and the Overseer. But for now he makes the long trek back to the Citadel.


End file.
